Boston Bruins Rumors: Credit to Don Sweeney for Orlov, Hathaway deal
The Boston Bruins just can’t stop winning! They began a four game road trip last night with a wild 6-5 win over the Seattle Kraken. Jake DeBrusk had the winning goal with 1:37 left in the third period. While the Bruins were winning on the ice, they also won off the ice.
We’ve been hearing for several weeks now about the Bruins making a move to upgrade their defense and counter some of the moves already made by other NHL teams. Jakob Chychrun was a name heavily linked to the Bruins. Vladislav Gavrikov is another name that’s recently been linked to the Bruins as well. But Don Sweeney threw us all off with a much different trade.
The Bruins traded Craig Smith, a 2023 first-round pick, a 2024 third-round pick, and a 2025 second-round pick to the Washington Capitals in exchange for defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway. The Minnesota Wild also received a 2023 fifth-round pick and will retain 50 percent of Orlov’s salary. The Bruins also now have the signing rights to Andrei Svetlakov.
Meeting new Boston Bruins Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway
Dmitry Orlov is a defenseman that will help bolster the Bruins defense as a whole.
He plays close to 23 minutes a night, which is good for a team that’s had multiple defensemen hurt this season.
The 5-foot-11 Orlov also has three goals and 16 assists in 43 games. He also will be big in helping an already strong Bruins penalty kill and could be in the mix for first line defensive pairing with Charlie McAvoy. Orlov will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
Garnet Hathaway is a big, bruising forward that isn’t afraid to give out a hit along the boards when warranted.
The 6-foot-3 Hathaway has 198 hits this season. The Bruins closest in hits is Connor Clifton with close to 160.
Hathaway can also help your bottom six with production as he has nine goals and seven assists in 59 games this season. He will also be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Boston Bruins departing with Craig Smith
Craig Smith was with the Bruins for almost three seasons. But he was one of the names being constantly thrown around in trades. So the move makes sense.
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Smith only had four goals in 42 games this season for the Bruins. It seems like the 6-foot Smith was loved by his teammates and it’s tough to see him go. But business is business. This move could’ve been seen from a mile away with the way people were speculating Smith’s days as a Bruin being numbered.
Great job on Thursday by Don Sweeney! Have to give credit where the credit is due with this one.
The Bruins got a top level defenseman and a forward that can strengthen your third/fourth line.
Plus, Minnesota is retaining 50 percent of Orlov’s salary. That’s forgotten about in this deal!
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The two (small) downsides with this trade? Sending multiple draft picks and both guys being UFA at seasons end. This is purely a rental, ‘we’re all in this year!’ type of move.
So hopefully the move works out. You keep your core in tact and added to areas needed, that’s a HUGE win-win.
The best part? Don Sweeney and the Bruins may not be done yet…